■vamerja  ^*orarv 


[From  the  Journal  of  The  Presbyterian  Historical  Society. 


THE 


AMERICAN  REVISIONS  OF 
WATTS'S  PSALMS. 


BY 

LOUIS  F.  BENSON,  D.  D. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 
1903. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/amsionOObens 


THE  AMERICAN   REVISIONS  OF  WATTS'S  "PSALMS." 

j 

BY    LOUIS    F.    BENSON,    D.    D. 

In  a  former  paper  a  study  was  made  of  the  early  editions  of 
Dr.  Watts' s  Hymns,  and  from  the  successive  prefaces  to  these 
the  progress  of  his  work  upon  the  The  Psalms  of  David  Imitated, 
was  traced.1  A  subsequent  paper  contained  some  notices  of  the 
publication  of  the  latter,  and  incidentally  of  its  reprinting  and 
use  in  this  country.2 

This  reprinting  of  Watts's  Psalms  began  in  1729  with  an  issue 
which  was  the  first  book  to  apjDear  from  the  "  New  Printing- 
office  near  The  Market,"  Philadelphia,  set  up  by  Benjamin 
Franklin  in  partnership  with  his  fellow-workman  Hugh  Mere- 
dith.3 Its  publication  was  not  due  to  any  demand  from  the 
churches,  or  even  from  individuals,  at  that  early  date,  since 
we  have  Franklin's  own  word  that  the  impression  remained 
upon  his  shelves  unsold.  But  the  demand  came,  and  the  exten- 
sive use  of  the  Psalms  in  the  Colonies  is  reflected  in  the  large 
number  of  American  editions.  In  Philadelphia  alone  later  re- 
prints appeared  in  1740,  1741,  1753(?),  1757,  1760,  1778,  178i , 
and  the  number  published  in  New  England  was  considerably 
larger.4 

But  in  "  accommodating  the  Book  of  Psalms  to  Christian 
worship,"  Dr.  Watts  had  not  only  made  "  David  and  Asaph 
.  .  .  speak  the  common  Sense  and  Language  of  a  Christian,"5 
but  also  that  of  a  loyal  citizen  of  Great  Britain  and  subject  of 
its  king.     As  time  passed  the  use  of  such  language  became  less 

1  The  Journal,  Vol.  I,  p.  265. 
2 Ibid.,  Vol.  I,  p.  327. 

3  A  fac  simile  of  the  title-page  is  in  Ford,  The  Many -Sided  Franklin. 
New  York,  The  Century  Co.,  1899,  p.  194. 

4  The  Philadelphia  editions  appear  in  Hildeburn's  Issues  of  the  Press  in 
Pennsylvania  (Philadelphia,  1885-86)  ;  and  of  the  New  England  issues 
there  is  quite  an  assemblage  in  the  catalogue  of  the  Brinley  sale. 

5  Preface  of  1719. 

1 


2  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms. 

and  less  acceptable  in  the  Colonies,  and  with  the  establishment 
of  their  independence  it  became  impossible.  The  American 
reprints  of  Watts's  text  intact,  therefore,  come  to  an  end  with 
the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War.1 

Some  revision  of  the  text  was  demanded.  In  the  words  of 
President  Dwight :  "After  the  American  Revolution  it  became 
early  the  general  wish  of  the  Churches  and  Congregations  in 
this  country,  that  such  passages  in  Dr.  Watts's  version  of 
the  Psalms,  as  were  local,  and  inapplicable  to  our  own  circum- 
stances, might  be  altered,  and  made  to  accord  with  those 
circumstances."2  The  purpose  of  this  paper  is  to  consider 
the  successive  revisions  undertaken  with  this  end  in  view, 
and  to  discriminate  the  various  editions  in  which  they  were 
embodied. 

I. 

THE  MYCALL  REVISION,  1781. 

The  earliest  of  these  revisions  known  to  the  present  writer 
was  that  printed  in  Newburyport  with  the  following  title  : — 

[A  1]  The  |  Psalms  |  of  |  David,  |  Imitated  in  the  |  Language  of 
the  |  New  Testament,  |  and  applied  to  the  |  Christian  State 
and  Worship.  |  By  I.  Watts,  D.  D.  |  The  fortieth  edition, 
corrected,  |  and  accommodated  to  the  use  of  |  the  Church  of 
Christ  in  America.  |  [texts,  6  11.]  |  Newbury-Port:  |  Printed 
and  Sold  by  John  Mycall.  |  MDCCLXXXI.  |  16mo.3 

The  origin  of  this  historic  book  has  happily  been  recorded  by 

JThe  Philadelphia  edition  of  1781,  above  referred  to,  was  printed  by 
Robert  Aitken.  In  view  of  his  patriotism  and  of  what  he  had  suffered 
at  the  hands  of  the  British  army,  it  seems  curious  that  the  edition 
should  retain  all  the  original  references  to  Great  Britain  and  its  king  ; 
and  equally  curious  that  there  was  a  demand  for  such  an  edition  in 
Philadelphia  at  that  date. 

2Dwight's  Preface  to  his  edition  of  Watts's  Psalms. 

3  With  the  writer's  copy  is  bound  in  The  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs  of 
Dr.  Watts,  by  the  same  printer,  1782;  also  described  as  "The  fortieth 
edition,  corrected,  and  accommodated,"  etc. 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  3 

President  Stiles,  under  date  of   December   8th,  1781,  as   fol- 
lows : ' — 

"This  year  has  been  published  the  fourtieth  Edition  of  Dr.  Watts' s 
Psalms  :  it  was  printed  at  N/ewburyport  in  Massachusetts  by  Mr.  Mycall, 
Printer.  He 2  with  the  Advice  &  Assist8-  of  neighbors  ministers  &  others, 
has  made  some  Alterations  in  Psalms  where  G.  Britain  is  mentioned,  & 
references  to  the  King  of  Gt.  Britain — as  in  the  75th  Psalm.  At  first  it 
may  seem  as  if  these  alterations  were  many  :  however  they  really  are 
but  few.     Thus  the  Ps.  Book  is  well  adapted  to  the  Chh  in  America." 

This  was  after  the  capture  of  Yorktown,  but  still  nearly  two 
years  before  the  Treaty  of  Peace.  One  can  readily  reproduce 
in  imagination  the  anxious  but  fervid  consultations  of  Mr. 
Mycall's  committee  and  the  scrutiny  by  approving  eyes  through- 
out New  England  of  the  results  of  their  patriotic  labors.  Their 
book  is  indeed  a  precious  memorial  of  the  times.  Yet  one  can- 
not but  find  his  sense  of  humor  appealed  to  by  this  patriotic 
necessity  of  getting  King  George  well  out  of  King  David's 
Psalms.     Why  indeed  had  he  ever  got  in  ? 

The  most  striking  feature  of  the  text  of  the  Mycall  revision 
is  that  of  Psalm  LXXV,  which  Watts  had  entitled  : — 

"  Power  and  government  from  God  alone.  Apply'd  to  the  Glorious  Rev- 
olution by  King  WILLIAM,  or  the  Happy  Accession  of  King  GEORGE 
to  the  Throne." 

Mycall  altered  the  title  to  read  : — 

'•'  Applied  to  the  glorious  revolution  in  America,  July  4th  1776." 

and  the  change  in  the  governing  powers  is  set  forth  in  the  2d 
verse  : — 

"  2.  America  was  doom'd  a  slave, 
Her  frame  dissolv'd,  her  fears  were  great ; 
When  God  a  right' ous  council  gave, 
To  bear  the  pillars  of  the  state." 

1  The  Literary  Diary  of  Ezra  Stiles,  D.  D.,  LL.  I).,  President  of  Yale  College. 
Edited  by  Franklin  Bowditch  Dexter,  M.  A.  New  York :  Charles 
Scribner's  Sons,  1901,  vol.  II,  p.  571. 

2  Mycall  had  been  a  schoolmaster  until  engaging  in  the  printing  busi- 
ness. See  Isaiah  Thomas,  History  of  Printing  in  America ;  Worcester, 
1810  ;  Vol.  I,  p.  400. 


4  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms. 

A  peculiarity  of  the  text  arises  from  the  difficulty  of  finding  a 
name  for  the  colonies,  now  freed  from  that  slavery,  which  is  to 
be  substituted  for  "Great  Britain  "  and  the  like  in  the  original. 
Sometimes  it  is  "  our  States  "  (XXI),  "These  ransom'd  States  " 
(XLVII),  "ye  rescu'd  States"  (LXVII)  ;  now  "New  Eng- 
land" (LX)  ;  and  now  "America"  (LXXV),  or  "Columb'a" 
(CXLVII). 

It  would  be  a  mistake  to  assume  that  Mycall's  revision  was 
merely  a  temporary  makeshift,  to  be  altogether  superseded  by 
the  authorized  revisions.  Such  was  not  the  case.  That  it  met 
with  approval  President  Stiles  is  witness,  and  that  the  approval 
continued,  and  brought  it  into  extended  use  we  have  the  con- 
clusive testimony  of  subsequent  reprints.  Of  these  the  follow- 
ing have  been  met  with  by  the  writer : — 

[A  2]  The  Psalms  of  David,  Imitated  in  the  Language  of  the 

New  Testament,  And  applied  to  the  Christian  State  and 

Worship.     By  I.  Watts,  D.  D.     Boston  :   Printed  by  Peter 

Edes,  for  J.  Boyle.  .   .  .  MDCCLXXXVII.     16mo. 
[A  3]    [Same  Title.]     Boston  :  Printed  by  John  W.    Folsom, 

for1    No.    30,    Union-Street.      MDCCLXXXIX.      16mo. 

(Watts's  Hymns  are  bound  in. ) 

(There  is  nothing  on  the  title  page  of  A  2  or  A  3  to 

suggest  that  the  "accommodated"  text  is  used.) 
[A  4]  The  Psalms  of   David.     Imitated,  &c.     Corrected,  and 

accommodated   to   the   use   of   the   Church   of    Christ   in 

America.       Brookfield,    Massachusetts.       Printed    by    E. 

Merriam&Co.  .  .  .  October  1802.    24mo.    (Watts's  Hymns 

are  bound  in.) 
[A  5]    [Same  Title.]     Same  printer,     n.  d.     [but  said  in  the 

Brinley   Catalogue    to    be    of    1804.]      24mo.      (Watts's 

Hymns  are  bound  in. ) 

(There  are  slight  divergencies  of  text  in  this  edition. ) 
[A  6]  [Same  Title.]     Same  printer.     1812.     24mo.     (Watts's 

Hymns  are  bound  in. ) 

1  There  is  evidently  an  omission  here. 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  5 

II. 

BARLOW'S  REVISION,  1785. 

The  first  authorized  revision  of  Watts' s  Psalms  was  made 
under  a  resolution  of  the  General  Association  of  Connecticut 
passed  in  June,  1784.  The  occasion  and  the  method  of  this 
revision  are  set  forth  in  the  official  certificate  printed  in  the 
book  itself  when  published  : — 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  General  Association  of  the  State  of  Connecticut 
in  June  last,  it  was  thought  expedient,  that  a  number  of  the  Psalms  in 
Dr.  Watts' s  version,  which  are  locally  appropriated,  should  be  altered 
and  applied  to  the  state  of  the  Christian  Church  in  general,  and  not  to 
any  particular  country ;  and  finding  some  attempts  had  been  made  to 
alter  and  apply  those  Psalms  to  America,  or  particular  parts  of  America, 
tending  to  destroy  that  uniformity  in  the  use  of  Psalmody,  so  desireable 
in  religious  assemblies  ;  they  appointed  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Timothy  Pitkin, 
John  Smally  and  Theodore  Hinsdale,  a  Committee  to  confer  with  and  apply 
to  Mr.  Joel  Barlow,  of  Hartford,  to  make  the  proposed  alterations. 

"  These,  together  with  the  additions  and  the  collection  of  Hymns  an- 
nexed to  this  Edition,  we  have  carefully  examined  and  approved  ;  and 
we  therefore  recommend  them  to  the  use  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  for 
the  purposes  of  public  worship  and  private  devotion. 

"TIMOTHY  PITKIN,  1       ^  . 

"JOHN   SMALLY,  I      Committee  of 

"THEODORE  HINSDALE,  )   Gen.  Association. 

"The  following  gentlemen,  appointed  by  particular  Associations,  to 
examine  and  revise,  concur  in  the  above  recommendation. 

"NATHAN  WILLIAMS, 
"THOMAS  W.  BRAY, 
"NATHAN  PERKINS." 

This  certificate  appears  without  date  in  the  first  edition  of 
Barlow's  revision  ;  but  in  the  third  it  bears  date  "January  1, 
1785." 

In  a  preface  of  his  own,  immediately  following  this  certifi- 
cate, Barlow  explains  the  revision  from  his  point  of  view. 
After  paying  a  high  tribute  to  the  general  excellence  of  Watts' s 
version,  and  explaining  the  difficulty  of  the  task  of  revision,  he 
continues  : — 


6  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms. 

"  Were  it  not  for  his  local  appropriation  of  some  Psalms,  and  his  omis- 
sion of  a  few  others,  his  Version  would  doubtless  have  been  used  for 
many  ages  without  amendment.  But  as  the  author  of  these  corrections 
is  employed,  directed  and  supported  by  so  respectable  a  Body  as  the 
whole  Clergy  of  the  State  ;  and  as  it  is  an  object  of  great  importance  that 
harmony  and  uniformity  should  be  established  as  extensively  as  possible 
in  the  use  of  Psalmody,  he  has  not  only  avoided  all  local  applications, 
but  has  made  some  slighter  corrections  in  point  of  elegance,  where  the 
rules  of  grammar,  established  since  the  time  of  Doctor  Watts  have  made 
it  necessary. 

"The  Psalms  considerably  altered  are  the  21st,  60th,  67th,  75th,  124th, 
147th  ;  those  omitted  by  Doctor  Watts  are  the  28th,  43d,  52d,  54th, 
59th,  64th,  70th,  79th,  88th,  108th,  137th,  140th. 

"The  Hymns  are  selected  chiefly  from  Doctor  Watts:  some  are  en- 
tirely new.  It  was  thought  adviesable  to  bind  them  in  the  same  volume, 
that  sacramental  and  other  particular  occasions,  not  provided  for  in  the 
Book  of  Psalms,  might  be  supplied  with  suitable  songs  of  devotion." 

As  regards  the  spirit  in  which  this  revision  was  made  it  will 
be  noticed  that  it  differs  from  that  of  MycaH's.  In  the  earlier 
one  the  motive  was  to  change  Dr.  Watts's  "  local  appropria- 
tions "  and  to  apply  them  to  ' '  the  States  "  or  to  "  New  England  " 
in  a  spirit  of  rival  patriotism.  In  this  revision,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  motive  was  to  rid  the  Psalms  of  all  "  local  appropria- 
tions "  and  have  them  "  applied  to  the  state  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  general."  And  it  must  be  said  that  this  spirit  was 
faithfully  carried  out,  even  the  original  appropriation  by  Dr. 
Watts  of  "  Psalm  cvii.  Last  Part"  as  "  A  Psalm  for  New- 
England  "  being  ignored  in  Barlow's  version. 

The  selection  of  Barlow  to  make  the  revision  was  a  very 
natural  one.  He  was  a  son  of  Connecticut  and  a  graduate  of 
Yale  in  the  class  of  '78.  In  1784  he  was  in  his  30th  year, 
and  had  served  for  three  years  as  chaplain  in  the  Revolutionary 
army,  though  rather  as  affording  a  means  of  livelihood  and  an 
opportunity  for  study  than  from  any  sense  of  a  call  to  the  min- 
istry.1 His  whole  bent  was  toward  the  literary  life,  and  already 
he  was  recognized  as  a  man  of  poetical  gifts.  He  had  been 
chosen  from  among  his  class  to  give  the  graduation  poem,  and 

1  Barlow  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  New  Haven  East  Association 
in  1780.  See  Contributions  to  the  Ecclesiastical  History  of  Connecticut,  New 
Haven,  1861,  page  324. 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  7 

was  known  to  be  revolving  in  his  mind  the  scheme  of  an  ex- 
tensive poetical  work. 

There  were,  however,  two  respects  in  which  Barlow  would 
appear  to  have  exceeded  his  instructions  :  (1st)  in  appending 
a  collection  of  hymns  to  the  Psalm  versions  (with  this  we  are 
not  especially  concerned)  ;  and  (2d)  in  making  a  textual  re- 
vision of  the  original  from  the  point  of  view  of  style  and  gram- 
mar. To  this  latter  point  we  shall  have  to  return,  as  it  had 
some  bearing  upon  the  results. 

(1)    The  Connecticut  Group  of  Editions. 

Barlow's  revision  was  published  at  Hartford  in  1785,  with  the 
following  title  : — 

[Bl]  Doctor  Watts's  [  Imitation  j  of  the  |  Psalms  |  of  |  David,  | 
corrected  and   enlarged.  |  By  Joel  Barlow.  |  To   which  is 
added  |  A  Collection  of  |  Hymns ;  |  The  whole  applied  to 
the  State  of  the  Christian  |  Church  in  General  |  [text] .  | 
Hartford  :  Printed     by     Barlow     and     Babcock  : 

M,DCC,LXXXV.  | 

The  volume  is  a  narrow  16mo,  of  some  350  pages,  not  ill- 
printed  but  having  a  poor  appearance  on  account  of  the  quality 
of  the  paper.  Barlow  had  taken  up  his  residence  in  Hartford, 
had  established,  in  connection  with  a  local  craftsman,  Elisha 
Babcock,  "a  new  printing-office  near  the  State-House,''  and 
had  begun  the  publication  of  a  weekly  newspaper.1  By  this 
new  firm  the  publication  of  the  book,  not  unnaturally,  was 
undertaken. 

The  printing  of  the  book  by  Barlow  himself  suggests  an  un- 
derstanding with  the  General  Association  that  it  be  published 
at  his  personal  risk  or  profit;  an  arrangement  likely  to  be 
acceptable  to  that  fondness  for  commercial  venture  he  showed 
through  all  his  career.  Both  Griswold  and  Duyckinck  state  that 
Barlow  gave  up  the  publication  of  his  newspaper  in  order  to 
open  a  bookstore  in  Hartford  "  to  dispose  of  the  literary  wares 
which  he  had  now  on  hand,  the  Psalm  Book  and  the  Vision," 

xSee  Life  and  Letters  qfJodBarlow,  LL.  D.,  Poet,  Statesman,  Philosopher, 
by  Charles  Burr  Todd,  New  York  :  Putnam's,  1886,  p.  46. 


8  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms. 

which  store  "  he  closed  when  he  had  accomplished  his  purpose, 
and  began  the  practice  of  the  law."1  This  incident,  whether 
authentic  or  otherwise,  is  at  least  passed  over  by  Barlow's 
biographer. 

The  other  members  of  the  original  group,  or  what  may  be 
called  the  Connecticut  group,  of  editions  were  as  follows  : — 

[B  2]  [Same  Title]  The  Second  Edition.  Hartford  :  for  Hud- 
son &  Goodwin  and  Nathaniel  Patten,  n.  d.  [1786]. 
24mo. 

[B  3]  [Same  Title]  The  Third  Edition.  Hartford  :  Printed 
by  Nathaniel  Patten.  [With  the  Privilege  of  Copy-Right.] 
n.  d.    [1787].    24mo. 

[B  4]  [Same  Title]  The  Fourth  Edition.  Hartford  :  for  Hud- 
son &  Goodwin  and  N.  Patten,    n.  d.    [1790].  24mo. 

Barlow  also  printed  in  a  separate  form  his  original  contribu- 
tions to  the  work,  entitled  : — 

[B  5]  A  Translation  of  Sundry  Psalms  which  were  omitted  in 
Doctor  Watts's  Version ;  To  which  is  added  a  Number  of 
Hymns.  The  whole  contained  in  the  New, Edition  of 
Psalms  and  Hymns.     By  Joel  Barlow.     Hartford  :  1785.2 

In  this  group  may  also  be  included  a  reprint  : — 

[B  6]  [Same  Title  as  A  1]  Glasgow :  Printed  by  David  Niven ; 
for  James  Duncan,  Bookseller,  Trongate,  MDCCLXXXVI. 
16mo. 

(Under  what  auspices  it  was  made  is  not  known  to  the 
writer,  but  copies  frequently  turn  up  in  this  country.  It 
belongs  to  this  group  because  reproducing  the  original  title 
of  Barlow's  revision,  the  authorization  certificate  of  the 

1  Cyclopedia  of  American  Literature,  by  Evert  A.  and  George  L.  Duyc- 
kinck,  New  York,  1855,  Vol.  I,  p.  392.  See,  also,  a  similar  statement 
in  The  Poets  and  Poetry  of  America,  by  Rufus  Wilmot  Griswold  (16th  ed.), 
Philadelphia,  1855,  p.  57. 

2  There  is  a  copy  in  the  possession  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society.  Its  librarian,  Dr.  Green,  informs  the  writer  that  Psalm  LXIV, 
a  version  of  which  appeared  in  Barlow's  revision,  is  not  included  here, 
as  by  Barlow  himself. 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  9 

Connecticut  Association,  the  collection  of  Hymns,  and  also 
Barlow's  preface.  These  features  would  seem  to  imply 
that  it  was  printed  for  importation  into  this  country  and 
use  in  the  Connecticut  churches.  ) 

In  this  group  we  must  also  include  a  New  York  issue  : — 
[B  7]  Doctor  Watts's  Imitation  of  the  Psalms  of  David  corrected 
and  enlarged,  by  Joel  Barlow.     Adapted  to  the  State  of 
the  Christian  Church  in  General.     New  York,  Printed  by 
W.  Durell.    .    .    .    M,DCC,XCI.     24mo. 

(It  omits  the  hymns  from  the  book  and  the  mention  of 
them  from  the  title  page.  Its  peculiar  feature  is  that  it  is 
the  only  issue  known  to  the  writer,  beyond  those  just  re- 
ferred to,  which  bears  the  title  Barlow  originally  gave  to 
his  revision,  "Dr.  Watts's  Imitation,"  etc.  The  title  page 
follows  typographically  the  original  one,  but  the  authoriza- 
tion and  Barlow's  preface  are  omitted,  and  the  short  preface 
much  used  in  the  groups  here  lettered  C  and  D  is  substi- 
tuted. In  actual  intent  and  use  this  issue  no  doubt  be- 
longs among  those  latter  groups.)1 

(2)     Distinctively  Presbyterian  Editions. 

In  the  year  in  which  Barlow's  revision  first  appeared,  at  the 
sessions  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  the  ques- 
tion of  collating  the  existing  psalm  versions  with  a  view  to 
"  compose  for  us  a  version  more  suitable  to  our  circumstances 
and  taste  than  any  we  yet  have,"  was  referred  to  a  committee.2 
In  1787,  possibly  in  consequence  of  that  action,  "  the  Synod 

1  The  writing  in  this  copy  determines  one  of  the  localities  in  which 
this  edition  was  used.  It  contains  on  a  fly-leaf  a  note  in  a  contemporary 
hand  that  ''Jane  Hughes  Departed  this  Life  Tewsday  26  of  November 
1799  and  was  Buried  in  Deeprun  buriing  ground  the  Thursday  follow- 
ing And  Mr.  Dubois  preact  her  Funeral  Sermon."  In  a  repetition  of 
the  note  he  appears  as  "  Revd  Uriah  Dubois."  There  is  also  the  signa- 
ture, "  Christopher  Wigton  his  hand  and  pen  1799."  The  Rev.  Uriah 
Dubois  was  installed  pastor  of  Deep  Run  and  Tinicum  October  10,  1798. 
(See  Roll  of  Ministers  and  Licentiates  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia, by  W.  M.  Rice,  D.  D.,  in  Nevin's  History  of  the  Presbytery  of  Phila- 
cMpJtia,  etc.,  Philadelphia,  1888.) 

2  Records,  pp.  513,  514. 


10  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms. 

did  allow,  and  do  hereby  allow,  that  Dr.  Watts's  imitation  of 
David's  Psalms,  as  revised  by  Mr.  Barlow,  be  sung  in  the 
churches  and  families  under  their  care. " ! 

This  action  created  a  demand  that  seems  to  have  been  eager 
and  instant,  and  was  likewise  long  continued,  for  new  issues  of 
Barlow's  Watts.  Beginning,  therefore,  in  the  year  of  Synod's 
allowance,  and  continuing  well  toward  the  middle  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  we  have  a  special  group  of  distinctively  Presby- 
terian editions.     They  are  characterized  by  three  features  : — 

(1.)  The  omission  of  the  hymns  originally  appended  to 
the  psalm-versions.  The  hymns  plainly  were  not  considered 
as  included  within  the  terms  of  Synod's  action. 

(2.)  The  adoption  of  a  distinctive  title  for  the  book,  from  which 
the  names  of  Dr.  Watts  and  of  Mr.  Barlow  alike  disappear. 
The  version  is  introduced  in  Presbyterian  churches  as  "  Psalms 
Carefully  Suited  to  the  Christian  Worship  in  the  United  States 
of  America.  Being  An  Improvement  of  the  old  Versions  of  the 
Psalms  of  David."  As  the  certificate  of  the  stated  clerk  of 
Synod  appears  in  the  original  edition  of  1787  so  entitled,  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  the  title  was  fixed  upon  after  consulta- 
tion and  with  official  approval.  The  title,  however,  failed  to 
express  the  spirit  of  the  Barlow  revision,  which  was  precisely 
the  opposite  to  that  of  an  adaptation  to  local  use  in  the  United 
States  or  elsewere  :  to  get  rid,  in  other  words,  of  all  traces  of 
local  adaptations  of  the  Psalms. 

(3)  The  setting  forth  upon  the  title  page  of  the  authorization 
of  the  book,  in  the  following  words  : — "Allowed,  by  the  rev- 
erend Synod  of  New- York  and  Philadelphia,  to  be  used  in 
churches  and  private  families."  This  was  originally,  and  often 
thereafter,  supplemented  by  a  certificate,  as  follows  : — 

"Philadelphia,  May  24th,  1787. 
"The  Synod  of  New- York  and  Philadelphia  did  allow  Dr.  Watts's  Imita- 
tion of  David's  Psalms,  as  revised  by  Mr.  Barlow,  to  be  sung  in  the  churches 
and  families  under  their  care. 

"  Extracted  from  the  records  of  Synod,  by 

"George  Duffield,  D.  D., 

"Stated  Clerk  of  Synod." 

1  Records,  p.  535. 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  11 

From  these  avowedly  Presbyterian  editions,  the  original 
authorization  by  the  General  Association  of  Connecticut  was,  of 
course,  omitted,  and,  also,  Mr.  Barlow's  preface ;  the  place  of 
the  latter  being  generally  supplied  by  a  briefer  one  commending 
the  work  of  Dr.  Watts  and  the  revision  of  Mr.  Barlow. 

A  complete  list  of  these  Presbyterian  editions  could  not  at 
present  be  made.  Like  most  other  classes  of  hymn-books  they 
have,  until  recent  years,  been  lightly  esteemed  by  collectors, 
carelessly  disposed  of,  or,  if  kept,  indifferently  recorded.  The 
writer  will  content  himself  with  a  record  of  such  only  as  he  has 
been  enabled  to  gather  together  : — 

[C  1]  Psalms,  carefully  suited  to  the  Christian  Worship  in  the 
United  States  of  America.  Being  An  Improvement  of  the 
Old  Versions  of  the  Psalms  of  David.  Allowed,  by  the 
reverend  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  to  be  used 
in  churches  and  private  families,  [text] .  Philadelphia  : 
Printed  by  Francis  Bailey,  at  Yorick's  Head,  in  Market 
Street.     MDCCLXXXVII.     16mo. 

[C  2]    [Same  Title]     Same  printer  and  date.     32mo. 

[Bound  up  with  this  edition  and  having  the  same  imprint,  is  a  collec- 
tion of  139  hymns,  with  the  title  "  Hymns  suited  to  the  Christian  Wor- 
ship in  the  United  States  of  America."  It  opens  with  one  of  John 
Wesley's  translations  and  is  altogether  of  unusual  character  for  the 
period.  The  writer  has  met  with  no  other  edition  and  cannot  account 
for  its  presence  in  this  connection.] 

[C  3]    [Same  Title]    Philadelphia  :  Printed  by  W.  Young  and 

J.  James,  in  Chestnut  Street.   M.  DCC.  LXXXVIII.    24m o. 
(Watts' s    Hymns,     Philadelphia  :     Joseph    Crukshank, 

1787,   bound   in.)     Certificate   of    Stated   Clerk    omitted. 

[James  Craft's  copy,   1790,  with  MS.  index  and  hymns 

inserted.] 
[C  4]    [Same    Title]     New    Brunswick  :     Printed    by   Shelly 

Arnett,  1789.     16mo. 

[Isaac  Bower's  copy,  1st  mo.  7th,  1791.] 
[C  5]    [Same  Title]    New  York  :    Hodge,   Allen  &  Campbell, 

MDCCXC.    24mo. 
[C  6]    [Same  Title]   Elizabeth-Town  :  Printed  by  Shepard  Kol- 

lock,  M.DCC.XCI.    24mo. 


12  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms. 

[C  7]  [Same  Title]  Philadelphia  :  Printed  by  Francis  Bailey, 
No.  116,  High-street.     M,DCC,XCII.    24mo. 

[C  8]  [Same  Title]  New  York  :  Printed  for  Berry  and  Rogers, 
and  John  Reid.     M.  DCC.  XCII.    24mo. 

[C  9]  [Same  Title]  Philadelphia  :  Printed  for,  &  Sold  by  H. 
&  P.  Rice,  Market-street.     1793.     24mo. 

[The  second  issue  to  omit  certificate  of  Stated  Clerk.] 

[C  10]  [Same  Title]  Philadelphia  :  Printed  for  and  sold  by  R. 
Campbell.     South  Second  Street.    1795.    24mo. 

[C  11]  [Same  Title]  Philadelphia  :  Printed  by  Francis  Bailey, 
at  Yorick's  Head,  No.  116,  High-street.  M.  DCC.  XCV. 
32mo.     [No  allowance  on  title,  but  with  the  certificate.] 

[C 12]  [Same  Title]  Elizabeth-Town  :  Printed  by  Shepard 
Kollock  for  T.  Allen  .  .  .  New- York.  M,DCC,XCVII. 
24mo.     ( Watts' s  Hymns  bound  in.) 

[C  13]  Psalms,  carefully  suited,  &c.  Being  Dr.  Watts'  Imita- 
tion of  the  Psalms  of  David,  as  improved  by  Mr.  Barlow. 
Allowed  by  the  Reverend  Synod  of  New- York  and  Phil- 
adelphia, to  be  sung  in  Congregations  and  Families. 
Philadelphia  :  Printed  for  Robert  Campbell,  No.  32,  Chest- 
nut-Street. M,DCC,XCIX.  24mo.  (Watts's  Hymns 
bound  in.) 

[The  first  Presbyterian  issue  to  vary  the  accepted  title ; 
and  without  the  certificate.] 

[C  14]  [Same  Title  as  C  13]  Philadelphia  :  Printed  and  sold 
by  John  M'Culloch,  No.  1.  North  Third-street,  n.  d. 
(but  advertisement  dated  July,  1802).  24mo.  [Without 
the  certificate.] 

[C 15]  [Same  Title  as  C  1]  Philadelphia :  Printed  by  R. 
Aitken,  No.  20,  North  Third  Street.  1802.  24mo.  [With 
the  certificate.] 

[C  16]  Dr.  Watts'  Imitation  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  suited  to 
the  Christian  Worship,  in  the  United  States ;  and  allowed 
by  the  Synod  of  New- York  and  Philadelphia,  to  be  used 
in  all  the  churches.  Philadelphia  :  Printed  and  Published 
by  William  F.  M'Laughlin,  No.  28,  North  Second  street. 
1805.  24mo.  ( Watts' s  Hymns  bound  in  :  without  the 
certificate.) 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts'  s  Psalms.  13 

(In  this  edition  Barlow's  additions  and  some  of  his  more 
important  revisions  are  retained,  but  many  of  Watts' s  lines 
and  the  whole  of  his  Psalm  XXI  (C.  M.)  are  restored. 
Hence  the  change  in  the  title.) 
[C  17]  An  Imitation  of  the  Psalms  of  David :  carefully  suited 
to  the  Christian  Worship  :  being  an  Improvement  of  the 
former  versions  of  the  Psalms.  Allowed  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States, 
to  be  used  in  churches  and  private  families.  Albany  : 
Printed  by  Websters  and  Skinners,  at  their  Bookstore,  in 
the  White  House,  corner  of  State  and  Pearl  Streets,  1813. 
16mo.     (Watts' s  Hymns  bound  in.) 

(The  latest  avowedly  Presbyterian  Edition  that  has  come 
under  the  writer's  notice.  It  is  possibly  unique  in  claiming 
the  allowance  of  the  General  Assembly  for  the  use  of  Bar- 
low's revision.) 

(3)  Editions  Appearing  as  "Psalms  Carefully  Suited," 
etc.,  but  not  as  distinctively  presbyterian. 

Beginning  at  least  as  early  as  1793,  and  running  parallel 
with  the  avowedly  Presbyterian  issues  and  beyond  them,  was 
a  series  of  editions  which  adopted  the  distinctive  ' '  Psalms  care- 
fully suited,' '  etc. ,  of  the  Presbyterian  title  page  and  differing 
from  them  merely  by  the  omission  both  of  Synod's  allowance 
and  the  certificate  of  its  stated  clerk.  This  was,  perhaps,  but  a 
trade  expedient,  originally,  to  extend  the  circulation  of  a  book 
proved  to  be  popular.  The  omission  of  the  Synodical  allow- 
ance would  not  affect  the  use  of  these  editions  within  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  encouraged  their  use  outside  of  its  bounds. 
Many  of  them,  no  doubt,  were  principally  intended  for  Presby- 
terian use,  the  continued  reprinting  of  the  original  allowance 
becoming  less  necessary  as  the  years  passed. 

The  following  issues,  among  many,  may  be  mentioned  because 
at  hand  : — 

[D  1]  Psalms,  carefully  suited  to  the  Christian  Worship  in  the 
United  States  of  America.  Being  an  Improvement  of  the 
Old  Versions  of  the  Psalms  of  David,     [text]     Philadel- 


14  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms. 

phia  :  Printed  by  W.  Young,  No.   52,  Second  Street,  the 

corner  of  Chestnut-street.     M,DCC,XCIII.     48mo. 
[D  2]  [Same  Title]  Same  printer.     M,DCC,XCIV.     12mo. 
[D3]  [Same   Title]    Same   printer.       M,DCC,XCIX.       12mo. 

( Watts' s  Hymns  bound  in.) 
[D  41  [Same  Title]  New  York  :    Printed  and  sold  by  T.   &  J. 

Swords,    No    160    Pearl-street,      1804.     32mo.     (Watts's 

Hymns  bound  in) 
[D  5]    [Same   Title]      Philadelphia  :  Thomas   Dobson,   at   the 

Stone  House,  No.  41,  South  Second  Street.    1805.    (Watts's 

Hymns  bound  in. )     16mo. 
[Sarah  Miller's  copy.] 
[D  6]  Psalms  carefully  suited,  &c.   Being  Dr.  Watts's  Imitation 

of  the  Psalms  of  David,  as  improved  bj'  Mr.  Barlow.     To 

this   edition   are   added    the  words   of    sundry  anthems. 

Wilmington,    (Del.)       Peter     Brynberg,     1805.       24mo. 

(Watts's  Hymns  bound  in.) 
[D  7]    [Same  Title  as  D  1]    New  York  :  Williams  and  Whiting, 

At  their  Theological  and  Classical   Book-Store,  No.   118 

Pearl-street.     1810.     32mo. 
[D  8]   [Same  Title]     New-Brunswick  :  Ambrose  Walker,  1810. 

16mo. 
[D  9]  [Same  Title]   Brooklyn,  Thomas  Kirk,  1811.     32mo. 
[D 10]  [Same   Title]   Philadelphia  :    W.    W.   Woodward,  1814. 

32mo. 
[D  11]    [Same  Title]   Same  printer,  1816.     32mo. 
[D  12]  [Same  Title]   Same  printer,  1817.     8vo. 
[D  13]   Psalms  carefully  suited,   &c.     Being  Dr.   Watts's   Imi- 
tation  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  improved.     Wilmington  : 

Robert  Porter,  1818.     32mo. 
[D 14]    [Same  Title  as  D   1]   Geneva,    N.    Y.,  James  Bogert, 

1819.     24mo. 
[D  15]  Psalms,  carefully  suited,  &c.     Being  an  Improvement  of 

the  Old  Version  of  the  Psalms  of  David.     By  I.  Watts, 

D.  D.     Charleston,   S.  C,  Win.  Riley,  125  Church-street, 

1827.     8vo. 
(Described  in  the  half-title  as  "  Charleston  Edition.") 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  15 

[D 16]  [Same  Title  as  D  1]  New  York  :  Betts  and  Anstice, 
MDCCCXXXIII.     16mo. 

(The  last  nine  editions  have  Dr.  Watts7  s  Hymns  bound 
in.) 

(4)     The  "Corrected"  Editions. 

A  final  series  of  editions  of  Barlow's  revision  needs  mention. 
These  begin  as  early  as  1812,  and  consist  in  each  case  of  the 
Psalms  and  Hymns  bound  together  in  one  volume,  each  with 
its  own  title,  and  each  described  thereon  as  "corrected."  This 
constitutes  the  only  variance  in  the  title  of  the  Psalms,  and  there 
appears  to  be  little  variance  in  the  text.  The  corrections  are 
rather  in  the  line  of  restorations  of  verses  or  even  whole  ver- 
sions of  Psalms  as  given  by  Watts,  but  which  Barlow  had  chosen 
to  omit.  In  some  editions  a  brief  "  Life  of  Watts  "  is  included. 
The  following  are  the  examples  at  hand  : — 
[E  1]  Psalms  carefully  suited,  &c.     A  new  edition,  corrected. 

Xew  Brunswick.     Printed  by  Lewis  Deare  for  D.  Fenton, 

Trenton.     1812.     12mo. 
[E  2]    [Same  Title]  N.  Y.,  Tiebout  &  Sons,  1817.     12mo. 
[E  3]  [Same  Title]   N.  Y.,  Daniel  D.  Smith,  1824.     12mo. 
[E  4]   [Same  Title]   Princeton,  X.  J.,    D.  A.  Borrenstein,  1827. 

12mo. 
[E  5]   [Same  Title]   Same  printer,  1828.     12mo. 

III. 

THE  WORCESTER  EDITION,  1786. 

In  the  year  following  the  publication  of  Barlow's  Watts, 
Isaiah  Thomas,  the  enterprising  and  patriotic  printer  of  Wor- 
cester, issued  a  complete  edition  of  Watts's  Psalms  and  Hymns 
in  one  volume,  printed  in  double  columns.  For  this  he  made 
free  use  of  Barlow's  revision,  but  at  the  same  time  established  a 
text  and  arrangement  of  his  own,  calling  his  issue  "  The  First 
Worcester  Edition  :" — 

[F  1]  The  Psalms  of  David,  imitated  In  the  Language  of  the 
New-Testament,  and  Applied  to  the  Christian  State  and 
Worship.     Together  with  Hymns  .   .  .  With  Indexes  and 


16  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms. 

Tables  complete.  By  Isaac  Watts,  D.  D.  The  First  Worcester 
Edition,  [texts].  Printed  at  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  by 
Isaiah  Thomas,  And  sold  at  his  Book-Store  :  Sold  also  by 
the  Booksellers  in  Boston.— MDCCLXXXVI.     12mo. 

The  book  is  based  upon  Watts's  own  editions,  the  three  quo- 
tations on  the  English  title-page  appearing  in  full  on  the  title  of 
this,  Watts's  "  Advertisement  to  the  Readers  "  being  given  ;  but 
Barlow's  revisions  are  introduced  into  the  text  in  so  far  as  they 
commended  themselves.  The  new  Psalms  contributed  by 
Barlow  do  not  appear  in  the  body  of  the  work,  but  in  an  "  Ap- 
pendix," preceded  by  a  note  specifying  the  Psalms  omitted  by 
Watts  and  continuing  : — 

"The  following,  written  by  the  ingenious  Mr.  Joel  Barlow  of  Connecticut, 
by  desire  of  the  General  Association  of  that  State,  are  here  added  in  order  to 
accommodate  those  ivho  wish  to  have  the  Psalms  complete.  They  are  extracted 
from  a  Book  intitled  l  Dr.  Watts's  Imitation  of  the  Psalms  of  David  corrected 
and  enlarged.'  " 

The  Worcester  text  has  other  ear-marks,  such  as  the  omission 
of  the  C.  M.  version  of  Psalm  XXI  and  the  emphasizing  of 
verses  and  even  single  words  quoted  from  Barlow's  version  by 
quotation  marks  and  sometimes  by  italics  as  well,  as  in  Psalms 
LX,  LXXV,  and  CXLVIL  This  has  a  curious  effect  until  the 
reason  for  it  is  grasped. 

[F  2]  [Same  Title,  omitting  "  First  Worcester  Edition."]  Printed 
at  Boston,  by  I.  Thomas  and  E.  T.  Andrews,  Faust's  Statue, 
No.  45,  Newbury  Street.     MDCCXCI.     12mo. 

(A  page-for-page  reprint  of  F  1  up  to  the  final  index,  the 
type  of  which  is  enlarged.) 

[F  3]  The  Psalms  of  David  Imitated,  &c.  Boston  :  From  the 
Press  of  J.  Bumstead,  for  John  Boyle.  .  .  .  M.DCC.XCII 
16mo. 

(The  Worcester  text  of  Watts,  without  the  Appendix  of 
Barlow's  additions.  The  make  up  of  the  book,  like  the 
title,  is  in  the  usual  (not  the  Worcester)  form.  There  are 
also  1794  and  1795  Bumstead  imprints,  perhaps  of  the  same 
character.) 

[F  4]  The  Psalms  of  David  Imitated,  &c.     Exeter  :  Printed  by 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  17 

John  Lamson,  for  Mess.  Thomas  and  Andrews.  .  .  .  1794, 
24mo. 

(Apparently  based  on  F  1  or  F  2,  though  differing  in  the 
title,  and  occasionally,  in  a  slight  degree,  in  the  text;  e.  g., 
in  Psalm  LXVIL  The  Appendix  is  also  dropped.  It,  how- 
ever, reproduces  the  misprint  of  "  natives  "  for  "  navies  "  in 
Psalm  XLVIII,  5,  which  occurs  in  both  F  1  and  F  2.  The 
double  column  and  the  other  typographical  features  of  the 
Worcester  edition  are  departed  from.) 
[P  5]  [Same  Title  as  F  2]  Printed  at  Northampton,  by  William 
Butler.     MDCCXCIX.    12mo. 

(An  accurate  reproduction  of  the  typographical  features 
and  the  text  of  F  1  or  F  2,  including  the  misprint  "  na- 
tives.") 
[P  6]  [Same  Title  as  F  2,  omitting  reference  to  Tables,  &c] 
Keene,  [N.  H.]  Printed  by  and  for  John  Prentiss.  .  .  . 
1803.     12nio. 

(A  reproduction  of  the  Worcester  text  and  typographical 
features,  but  without  the  Appendix.  The  misprint  dis- 
appears from  Psalm  XLVIII,  5.) 

IV. 

DR.  DWIGHT'S  REVISION,  1801. 

(1)     Its  Publication. 

In  1797  the  project  of  a  second  authorized  revision  of  Watts's 
Psalms  took  definite  shape.  In  June  of  that  year  the  General 
Association  of  Connecticut  requested  President  D wight  "to  revise 
Dr.  Watts's  imitation  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  so  as  to  accom- 
modate them  to  the  state  of  the  American  Churches ;  and  to 
supply  the  deficiency  of  those  Psalms  which  Dr.  Watts  had 
omitted."1 

In  1798  this  action  was  reported  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  by  its  delegates  to  the  Connecticut 
Association.2     According  to  Dr.  Dwight,  a  motion  was  made  in 

1  Certificate  prefixed  to  Dwight's  Edition  of  Watts. 
2 Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly,  1789-1820,  p.  139. 


18  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms. 

the  Assembly  at  that  time  "  for  accomplishing  the  same  general 
purpose ;  but  the  General  Assembly,  being  informed,  that  the 
business  had  been  taken  up  by  the  General  Association,  con- 
cluded to  postpone  any  further  measures,  relative  to  it,  until 
they  should  see  the  issue  of  the  measures,  adopted  in  Connec- 
ticut."1 Dr.  D  wight  gave  notice  to  the  General  Association  at 
their  meeting  in  1799  that  he  had  completed  his  "  alterations 
and  additions."2  The  Association  wished  "the  advice  and 
concurrence  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  in  this  important  business,"3  and 
doubtless  so  informed  that  body.  In  1800  the  Assembly  elected 
a  committee  to  meet  a  like  committee  of  the  Association  in 
June  of  that  year  at  Stamford  to  examine  the  revisions  and 
additions  made  by  Dr.  Dwight.  The  committee  was  directed  to 
report  the  result  to  the  next  General  Assembly.4  On  the  10th 
day  of  June  the  joint  committee  met,  and  they  signed  a  certifi- 
cate in  which  they  "approve  and  recommend  said  version, 
as  thus  altered  and  amended,  to  the  use  of  the  Churches."5  In 
May,  1801,  the  Assembly's  committee  reported  to  that  body 
that  they  had  carefully  examined,  and  approved  "  with  some 
amendments,"  Dr.  Dwight's  revision,  and  "  that  these  joint  com- 
mittees unanimously  advised  Dr.  Dwight  to  add  a  number  of 
hymns,  selected  out  of  Dr.  Watts's  and  Dr.  Doddridge's  hymns, 
with  some  few  of  Dr.  Rippon's,  to  enlarge  the  system  of  Psalm- 
ody, and  have  the  whole  printed  as  soon  as  convenient,  for  the 
use  of  the  churches."  Whereupon  it  was  resolved  that  "the 
Assembly  do  not  think  it  advisable  to  express  their  approbation 
of  any  system  of  Psalmody  without  its  having  been  first  sub- 
mitted to  their  inspection  and  review."6 

Dr.  Dwight's  revision  appeared  that  year  (1801)  at  Hartford 

1Dv.  Dwight's  "Advertisement"  prefixed  to  his  edition.     Xo  such 
action  appears  in  the  Minutes. 

2  The  Certificate. 

3  Ibid. 
^Minutes,  p.  202. 

5  The  Certificate. 
^Minutes,  pp.  216-217. 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  19 

in  a  narrow  24mo  volume  of  600  pages.  Prefixed  was  the  cer- 
tificate of  the  joint-committee  recommending  it  to  the  use  of 
the  churches.1  This  was  followed  by  Dr.  Dwight's  "  advertise- 
ment," covering  more  than  three  pages,  and  dated  "  New  Haven, 
August  13,  1800."     The  title  page  is  as  follows  : 

[G  1]  The  |  Psalms  of  David,  |  imitated  in  the  language  of  | 
the  New  Testament,  |  and  applied  to  the  |  Christian  use 
and  worship  |  By  I.  Watts,  D.  D.  |  A  new  edition,  |  in 
which  the  Psalms,  omitted  by  Dr.  Watts,  |  are  versified,  | 
local  passages  are  altered,  and  |  a  number  of  Psalms  are 
versified  anew,  |  in  proper  metres.  |  By  Timothy  Dwight, 
D.  D.  |  President  of  Yale-College.  |  At  the  Request  of  the 
General  Association  of  |  Connecticut.  |  To  the  Psalms  is 
added  |  A  Selection  of  Hymns.  |  Hartford  :  |  Printed  by 
Hudson  and  Goodwin.  |  1801.  | 

On  the  reverse  of  the  title  are  the  words,  "  PUBLISHED 
ACCORDING  TO  ACT  OF  CONGRESS."  In  some  later  im- 
prints the  notice  appears  more  fully,  showing  that  the  book  was 
entered  for  copyright  by  Dr.  Dwight  il  on  the  thirteenth  day  of 
November,  in  the  twenty-sixth  year  of  the  Independence  of  the 
United  States  of  America  "  [1801] .  The  "  Selection  of  Hymns  " 
is  not  an  appendix,  but  made  an  integral  part  of  the  book  by 
continuous  paging.  It  has.  however,  a  title  page  of  its  own. 
reading:  — 

"  Hymns  selected  from  Dr.  Watts,  Dr.  Doddridge,  and  various 
other  writers.  According  to  the  Recommendation  of  the  Joint 
Committee  of  the  General  Association  of  Connecticut,  and  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  America,  By 
Timothy  Dwight,  President  of  Yale-College.  Hartford  :  Printed 
by  Hudson  and  Goodwin.     1801." 

In  1802  the  General  Assembly  appointed  a  committee  "  to 
examine  the  system  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  published  agree- 
ably to  a  recommendation  of  a  joint  committee  of  the  General 
Association  of  Connecticut  and  the  General  Assembly,  and  to 

1  The  refusal  of  the  Assembly  of  1S01  to  do  this  very  thing  seems  to 
make  plain  that  the  Presbyterian  section  of  the  joint-committee  had 
exceeded  its  authority. 


20  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms. 

report  to  this  house  whether,  in  their  opinion,  this  Assembly 
ought  to  allow  said  system  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  to  be  used  in 
churches  and  private  families."1  Later,  in  the  same  session, 
the  committee  reported,  and  the  Assembly  took  action,  author- 
izing the  use  of  Dr.  Watts's  Hymns  in  the  congregations,  and 
also  "cheerfully  allowed  "  the  revision  of  Dr.  D wight  with  its 
appended  hymns.' 

(2)     The  Movement  to  Displace  Barlow's  Revision. 

Both  the  certificate  and  advertisement  of  Dr.  Dwight's 
edition  are  silent  as  to  the  earlier  revision  made  under  the  same 
auspices,  and  yet  they  make  very  evident  that  Dr.  D wight  hac 
been  commissioned  to  do  over  again  just  what  Barlow  had 
already  done.  Every  circumstance  points  toward  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  new  revision  had  been  undertaken  for  the  purpose 
of  displacing  the  earlier  one.  We  have  then  to  seek  for  some 
explanation  of  the  need  or  even  propriety  of  this  new  re- 
vision. 

Such  an  explanation  has  been  offered  recently  by  Moses  Coit 
Tyler,  the  well-known  historian  of  Early  American  Literature, 
in  his  Three  Men  of  Letters*  Having  quoted  the  title  page  of 
Dr.  Dwight's  revision,  he  goes  on  to  say  : — 

''This  well-packed  title-page  is  the  placid  record  of  an  ecclesiastical 
scandal  and  tragedy.  In  1785,  precisely  the  same  revision  of  Dr.  Watts's 
psalm-book  had  been  made  by  Joel  Barlow,  under  the  sanction  of  the 
same  high  authority,  and  had  been  issued  by  the  same  publishing 
house.  The  book  had  given  universal  satisfaction,  until  poor  Joel  went 
over  to  France,  and  dabbled  in  the  French  Revolution,  and  fell,  as  was 
supposed,  into  all  manner  of  French  impiety  and  abomination.  Of 
course,  the  saints  of  Connecticut  could  not  be  expected  to  enjoy  any 
longer  the  psalms  and  hymns  of  the  great  sinner  of  Paris  ;  and  the  task 
of  President  D wight,  as  recorded  on  the  above  title-page,  was  really  to 
demephitize  and  disinfect  the  book ;  it  was  to  cast  out  of  it  all  the 
writings  of  Joel,  and  to  put  into  it,  in  their  stead,  as  many  as  possible 
of  the  writings  of  Timothy." 

1  Minutes,  p.  236. 

2  Ibid,  p.  249. 

3  New  York  :  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  1895  ;  pp.  98-99. 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  21 

Barlow's  biographer  puts  the  matter  somewhat  differently  : — 

"  Barlow's  version  was  well  received  by  the  New  England  churches, 
and  was  in  constant  use  among  them  until  rumors  of  the  poet's  lapse 
from  orthodoxy  in  France  became  so  rife  that  it  was  discarded  for  one 
prepared  by  Dr.  Dwight.  The  work,  however,  did  not  escape  criticism. 
The  changes  of  expression,  the  '  improvements '  on  Watts,  and  the 
verbal  alterations  in  the  text  were  regarded  with  suspicion  by  the  more 
rigid,  and  the  author  was  declared  to  have  taken  unwarrantable  liberties 
with  the  word  of  God."1 

It  will  be  observed  that  these  explanations  agree  in  assigning 
a  single  cause  for  the  displacement  of  Barlow's  revision,  viz.  : 
disapprobation  of  the  course  pursued  by  him  in  France,  though 
describing  that  course  in  different  terms.  They  appear  to  agree 
also  in  their  estimate  of  the  use  to  which  Barlow's  book  at- 
tained in  New  England.  But  in  regard  to  the  welcome  ac- 
corded it  when  first  published  they  differ  so  much  as  to  be  in- 
compatible. 

(1)  To  begin  at  the  reception  of  Barlow's  revision, — Tyler's 
statement  is  that  it  "  had  given  universal  satisfaction  "  ;  Todd's 
that  it  was  well  received,  but  did  not  escape  criticism,  for 
reasons  given  by  him.  The  former  statement  is  not  true  at  all, 
and  even  the  latter  is  possibly  somewhat  under  the  true  level 
of  the  facts. 

Confining  ourselves  now  to  Connecticut,  it  is  quite  plain  that 
from  the  very  beginning  Barlow's  revision  was  received  with 
considerable  dissatisfaction.  The  evidence  of  this  is  the  more 
convincing  because  not  confined  to  a  single  type  of  witness. 
Miss  Caulkins,  in  her  History  of  Norwich,  relates  an  incident 
concerning  Oliver  Arnold,  a  roving  rhymer,  with  a  peculiar  gift 
for  making  extemporaneous  verses  : — 

"Ina  bookseller's  shop  in  New  Haven,  Oliver  Arnold  was  introduced 
to  Joel  Barlow,  who  had  just  then  acquired  considerable  notoriety  by  the 
publication  of  an  altered  edition  of  Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns.  Barlow 
asked  for  a  specimen  of  his  talent ;  upon  which  the  wandering  poet 
immediately  repeated  the  following  stanza  : — 

lIAfe  and  Letters  of  Joel  Barlow,  by  Charles  Burr  Todd,  New  York, 
1886 ;  pp.  49-50. 


22  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms. 

"  '  You've  proved  yourself  a  sinful  cre'tur'  ; 

You've  murdered  Watts,  and  spoilt  the  metre  ; 
You've  tried  the  Word  of  God  to  alter, 
And  for  your  pains  deserve  a  halter.'  " ' 

Something  of  tradition  may  mingle  with  sober  narrative  in 
this  incident,  but  one  cannot  doubt  that  it  embodies  the  situa- 
tion as  seen  by  the  eyes  of  plain  people. 

There  is  testimony,  also,  from  the  other  end  of  the  scale  of 
culture  and  influence.  Under  date  of  April  18th,  1785,  Presi- 
dent Stiles  made  this  entry  in  his  diary : — 

"  Mr.  Joel  Barlow  sent  me  a  copy  of  his  Edition  of  Dr.  Watts's  Psalms 
1784,  corrected  by  himself  at  the  Direction  of  the  General  Association  of 
this  State  of  Connecticut.  It  was  necessy  there  shd  have  been  a  few 
Alterations  in  passages  respects  the  King,  Britain  &  America.  But  Mr. 
Barlow  has  left  out  &  made  anew  whole  Stanzas,  and  even  Psalms. 
He  has  subjoyned  Hymns,  an  indiscriminate  Mixture  of  his  own  &  Dr. 
Watts.  In  the  place  of  the  Author  in  the  Title  page  he  has  put  '  By 
Joel  Barlow.'  Dr.  Watts  stiled  his  an  Imitation  of  Davids  Psalms. 
Mr.  Barlow  has  corrected  so  much  as  to  assume  the  Place  of  the  Author, 
as  if  he  was  the  Author.  I  think  he  has  corrected  too  much  and  un- 
necessarily mutilated  the  Book  &  sometimes  hurt  the  poetry.  Again 
such  Reverence  is  due  to  the  Authenty  of  Authors  as  that  the  Index 
expurgatorius  should  have  been  inserted  by  itself,  that  we  might  at  one 
view  be  able  to  know  what  is  Wattsian  &  what  is  Barlowan  ;  for  as  the 
matter  is  now  Barlow  has  mounted  up  at  one  Leap  to  all  the  Glory  of 
Watts.  This  is  a  new  way  of  Elevation  of  Genius  &  Acquest  of  Honor. 
It  is  but  for  an  adventurous  Muse  to  play  the  same  Correction  (for  some 
or  no  reason)  on  Milton  as  Mr.  Ross  has  done  on  President  Burr's  Gram- 
mar, and  Milton  becomes  the  Property  of  the  new  Poet.  Let  a  Phi- 
losopher throw  out  some  less  useful  Paragraphs  from  Newton's  Principia, 
&  insert  some  of  his  own  and  entitle  it  '  Newton's  Principia,  By  Martin.' 

"Dr.  Watts  left  out  twelve  Psalms  because  then  already  in  his  Hymns. 
Mr.  Barlow  might  have  transferred  these,  &  this  Composition  might  be 
still  Dr.  Watts's.  He  has  greatly  altered  21,  60,  67,  75,  124,  147th 
Psalms. 

"Mr.  Barlow  is  an  excellent  Poet;  yet  he  cannot  retoutch  Watts  to 
advantage."2 

Dr.  Stiles  was  not  inimical  to  his  old  scholar  and  was  ap- 
parently unmored  by  some  of  the  prejudices  that  stirred  the 

1  History  of  Norwich,   Connecticut,  by  Frances  Manwaring  Caulkins. 
Published  by  the  Author,  n.  p.,  1866 ;  p.  415. 
2The  Literary  Diary  of  Ezra  Stiles,  New  York,  1901,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  155,  156. 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  23 

plain  people.  But  he  thought  that  Barlow  had  overdone  his 
work,  and  in  doing  it  had  exalted  himself  at  the  expense  of  Dr. 
Watts.  We  may  be  quite  sure  that  Dr.  Stiles  stood  for  many, 
both  in  his  loyalty  to  Dr.  Watts  and  in  his  feeling  for  the  pro- 
prieties. 

(2)  Passing  now  from  the  original  reception  of  Barlow's  re- 
vision to  the  measure  of  use  attained  by  it, — Tyler  rests  upon 
the  generality  that  it  gave  "  universal  satisfaction,"  which  cer- 
tainly was  not  the  case.  Todd  claims  that  it  "  was  in  constant 
use ' '  among  "  the  New  England  churches. "  Of  this  there  is  no 
evidence,  but  much  to  the  contrary.  Barlow's  revision  was 
published,  as  we  have  seen,  at  Hartford,  in  1785,  and  within 
five  years  four  editions  in  all  appeared  there  in  quick  succes- 
sion. This  implies  certainly  a  considerable  use  in  Connecticut 
churches.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Connecticut  group 
comes  to  an  abrupt  end  in  1790  (or  in  1791,  if  we  include  the 
three  outlying  issues)  ;  and  our  record  of  editions  gathered  fails 
to  show  a  single  instance  in  which  Barlow's  revision  was  re- 
printed in  any  other  New  England  State.  His  materials  are,  how- 
ever, used  more  or  less  freely  in  Worcester,  Boston  and  other 
New  England  editions  of  Watts  ;  in  some  cases,  as  we  have 
seen,  his  original  contributions  being  appended  in  full  with  his 
name  as  author.  Now  these  facts  do  not  suggest  a  general  use 
in  "the  New  England  churches  "  of  Barlow's  revision,  discon- 
tinued on  account  of  developed  animosity  toward  its  author,  or 
for  any  other  reason.  They  seem  to  show  that  its  use  in  New 
England  had  never  spread  much  beyond  the  Connecticut 
churches. 

What  our  record  shows  plainly  enough  is  that  the  real  popu- 
larity and  the  only  lasting  use  gained  by  Barlow's  revision  were 
curiously  enough,  among  the  Presbyterians.  Of  this  a  study 
of  the  imprints  furnishes  in  itself  ample  evidence.  To  this 
Presbyterian  use  of  Barlow  there  will  be  need  to  refer  more  par- 
ticularly. 

(3)  In  regard  to  the  occasion  of  the  movement  to  displace 
Barlow's  book, — both  Tyler  and  Todd  are  agreed  in  finding  it  in 
the  ill  reputation  gained  by  Barlow  in  France.  But  it  should 
not  be  overlooked  that  the  original  dissatisfaction  with  the  free- 


24  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms. 

handed  way  in  which  Barlow  had  dealt  with  Watts's  text  still 
remained,  and  would  in  itself  afford  explanation  enough  of  the 
movement.  That  such  dissatisfaction  was  one  of  the  actual 
causes  leading  up  to  the  new  revision  appears  plainly  in  Dr. 
D wight's  own  advertisement.  He  speaks  of  the  reverence  felt 
toward  Dr.  Watts  in  this  country  as  great,  and  of  his  own  effort 
to  "vary  as  little  as  might  be  from  my  original."1  He  also 
states  that  he  had  been  "  originally  cautioned  to  make  no  alter- 
ations, except  those,  which  should  appear  to  be  either  absolutely 
necessary  or  plainly  important."  This  apologetic  tone  reflects  a 
public  demand  for  the  restoration  of  Watts's  own  text,  and  the 
instructions  to  the  reviser  here  alluded  to  show  a  purpose  corre- 
sponding to  the  demand. 

It  is,  however,  beyond  question  that  a  very  strong  tide  of 
feeling  against  Barlow  himself  had  arisen  to  supplement  the 
dissatisfaction  with  his  work.  He  had  gone  abroad  in  1788  as 
agent  of  the  Scioto  Land  Company,  and,  however  ignorant  he 
may  have  been  of  the  disreputable  character  of  that  enterprise, 
his  reputation  suffered  severely  in  its  collapse  and  exposure. 
Going  then  to  France,  Barlow  identified  himself  with  republi- 
canism conspicuously,  and  became  detested  by  the  Federalists 
at  home.2  In  1799  John  Adams,  in  a  letter,  refers  to  his  "  black- 
ness of  heart,"  saying,  "  Tom  Paine  is  not  a  more  worthless  fel- 
low."3 The  rumor  that  Barlow  had  renounced  the  Christian 
religion  was  freely  circulated  and  generally  believed  by  religious 
people.  An  alleged  letter  from  him  announcing  atheistical  prin- 
ciples was  circulated  about  1795.     In  1808  his  old  friend,  Noah 

1  "  Such  was  the  strength  of  the  torrent  of  public  opinion  amongst  us, 
in  favor  of  the  imitation,  errors  and  all,  that  even  the  President  of  Yale 
College  dared  to  correct  only  a  part  of  these." — Gilbert  McMaster,  An 
Apology  for  the  Book  of  Psalms.     Ballston-Spa,  1818,  p.  162. 

2  So  strong  is  partisan  prejudice  that  even  in  our  day  a  historian  of  Fed- 
eral proclivities  cannot  allude  to  Barlow  without  appending  some  phrase 
of  personal  insult.  See  John  Bach  McMaster's  History  ofth<  People  of  the 
United  States,  New  York,  v.  d.,  Vol.  II,  pp.  146,  390.  And  in  Connec- 
ticut, at  the  time,  there  is  said  to  have  been  only  one  "  Jeffersonian 
Democrat"  among  the  clergy. — MS.  mem.  of  Rev.  R.  Manning  Ghipman. 

3  Todd,  Life  and  Letters,  p.  161. 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  25 

Webster,  wrote  from  Xew  Haven,  giving  Barlow's  renunciation 
of  Christianity  as  his  ground  for  having  discontinued  friend- 
ship.1 When,  finally,  in  his  letter  to  Gregoire,  Barlow  answered 
these  charges  and  asserted  his  adherence  to  the  faith  of  his 
youth,  the  editor  of  the  Paiwplist  replied,  accusing  him  of  insin- 
cerity and  more  than  implying  that  he  was  an  infidel.2  When 
one  considers  how  readily  such  rumors  are  absorbed  and  such 
charges  believed,  and  remembers  that  the  name  of  Joel  Barlow 
appeared  in  very  large  type  upon  the  title  page  of  the  Connec- 
ticut Psalm-book,  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  that  his  re- 
vision, not  originally  welcome  for  its  own  sake,  grew  even 
heavier  in  the  hands  of  Connecticut  Christians  until  finally 
dropped.  And  it  is  just  as  easy  to  understand  how,  in  course 
of  time,  the  feeling  of  hostility  toward  Barlow's  person  should 
become  traditionally  the  sole  reason  for  replacing  his  revision 
by  one  made  by  President  Dwight.3  But  the  proof  that  hos- 
tility to  Barlow  was  one,  at  least,  of  the  reasons  behind  the  new 
revision  does  not  rest  wholly  on  tradition  or  outside  evidence. 
Very  significant  is  the  fact  that  everything  of  his,  or  suggestive 
of  him,  is  eliminated  from  Dr.  Dwight"  s  revision.  No  one  of 
his  original  versions  is  retained,  nor  any  of  the  very  many 
changes  and  amendments  introduced  by  him ;  and  yet  some 
of  these  were  improvements  beyond  any  question. 

(4)  As  regards  the  participants  in  this  movement  to  displace 

xTodd,  Life  and  Letters,  p.  220. 

2 The  Panoplist,  Vol.  Ill,  Xo.  4,  for  September,  1810. 

3  So  E.  H.  Gillett,  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  tin:  United  States 
of  America;  Philadelphia,  n.  d.  [1864],  Vol.  I,  p.  292:  "This  measure 
was  adopted  in  consequence  of  the  ill  odor  which  Barlow's  career  in 
connection  with  French  politics  had  given  to  his  edition  of  Watts." 
So,  also,  Rev.  Oliver  E.  Daggett,  in  The  Xew  Englander,  No.  XV,  for 
July,  1846,  p.  327  :  "  We  know  not  how  generally  the  book  was  at  first 
adopted,  but  the  compiler  soon  gave  it  an  ill  odor  among  the  good  people 
of  Connecticut.  .  .  .  he  .  .  .  was  supposed  to  have  imbibed  French 
irreiigion.  Such  a  man's  'praise'  could  not  be  ' in  all  the  churches.'  " 
Mr.  Daggett  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Connecticut  Association's 
Psalms  ami  Hymns  of  1848,  but  as  he  speaks  of  the  revision  of  Watts  as 
put  in  Barlow's  hands  in  1787,  he  can  hardly  be  cited  as  well-informed 
upon  the  subject. 


26  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms. 

Barlow,  it  has  already  appeared  that  New  England,  outside  of 
Connecticut,  was  not  concerned  in  it.  It  was,  of  course,  the 
project  of  the  Connecticut  Association,  and  apparently  unani- 
mously concurred  in.  Dr.  Dwight's  book  is  said  to  have  been 
adopted  by  the  churches  of  the  State  perhaps  without  excep- 
tion,1 and  it  was  used  by  them  for  many  years. 

To  what  exact  extent  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  was  concerned  in  this  movement  is  not  easy  to 
determine.  There  was  at  the  time  a  desire  for  some  improve- 
ment in  the  authorized  psalmody,  but  apparently  it  took  the 
direction  of  craving  the  addition  of  suitable  hymns.  The  Con- 
necticut project  was  reported,  recommended  by  the  trusted 
name  of  Dr.  Dwight.  The  Association  asked  the  cooperation  of 
the  Assembly,  backed,  doubtless,  by  a  body  of  sympathizers  in 
the  Assembly  itself.  There  was  a  willingness  to  wait  and  see 
what  Dr.  Dwight  could  do,  and  finally,  after  some  delay,  a  will- 
ingness that  such  churches  as  wished  should  feel  free  to  use  his 
revision.  That  appears  to  be  all,  and  after  it  Barlow's  revision 
occupied  just  the  same  position  it  had  held  before  as  an  author- 
ized psalm-book,  and  Watts' s  Hymns  are  admitted  side  by  side 
with  Dr.  Dwight's  Selection.2 

The  impression  one  derives  from  the  whole  record  of  this 
matter  is  that  the  General  Assembly  as  a  body  was  not  much 
moved  by  the  agitation  against  Barlow,3  nor  solicitous  for  the 
restoration  of  Dr.  Watts's  text,  but  willing  rather  to  consider 
and  welcome  Dr.  Dwight's  revision  on  its  merits,  and  incident- 
ally to  gratify  the  Connecticut  Association  and  an  element  in 
its  own  body  especially  affected  by  Connecticut  influences. 

This  impression  is  confirmed  by  the  after  history  of  the  two 
revisions  in  Presbyterian  churches.  The  remark  of  Dr.  Gillett 4 
concerning  Barlow's  revision,  that  "  its  use  in  Presbyterian  as 

1  O.  E.  Daggett,  in  The  New  Englander,  No.  XV,  for  July,  1846,  p.  328. 

2  Minutes,  as  already  cited. 

3  The  name  of  Barlow  does  not  seem  to  have  appeared  upon  the  title 
of  any  distinctively  Presbyterian  edition  until  introduced,  curiously 
enough,  in  one  of  1799  [C  13],  published  while  Dr.  Dwight's  revision 
was  in  progress. 

*Op.  cit.,  Vol.  I,  p.  292. 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  27 

well  as  Congregational  churches  had  become  obnoxious,"  is 
quite  misleading.  It  continued  in  wide,  and  in  some  sections 
of  the  country  in  practically  exclusive,  use.  In  Philadelphia, 
for  example,  Dr.  James  Mease,  describing  the  Presbyterian 
churches  in  1811,  reports  that '•' Watts's  psalms,  improved  by 
Barlow,  are  generally  used  in  their  churches."1  Editions  multi- 
plied, and,  as  has  appeared,  "  corrected  "  editions  were  thought 
worth  while.  D wight's  revision  never  superseded  Barlow's  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church  at  large.  The  latter  continued  in  good 
standing  and  wide  use  until  the  General  Assembly  adopted  its 
own  Psalms  and  Hymns  in  1830.  And  from  the  report  of  the 
committee  compiling  that  book  it  is  plain  that  among  the  exist- 
ing collections  used  by  them,  Dwight  and  Barlow  were  consid- 
ered as  on  equal  footing  in  the  churches.2  In  both  that  and  the 
subsequent  Psalms  and  Hymns  of  1843  appeared  many  of  the 
then  long  familiar  alterations  and  additions  to  the  text  of 
Watts,  which  had  been  introduced  in  1785  by  Barlow.3 
D wight's  revision  was,  however,  introduced  into  many  Presby- 
terian churches  ;  though  most  of  these  appear  to  have  been  in 
the  State  of  Xew  York  and  adjacent  parts  where  Xew  England 
influences  were  especially  operative. 

It  is  probable  that  we  now  have  before  us  data  from  which 
we  may  estimate  correctly  the  precise  degree  and  extent  of  what 
Mr.  Tyler  chose  to  describe  as  "  an  ecclesiastical  scandal  and 
tragedy." 

In  regard  to  the  revision  itself  thus  proposed  as  a  substitute 
for  Barlow's,  not  much  needs  to  be  said.  If  it  was  to  be  made 
at  all,  the  selection  of  Dr.  Dwight  to  make  it  was  most  fitting. 
The  successor  of  Dr.  Stiles  as  President  of  Yale,  he  was  held  in 

1  The  Picture  of  Philadelphia.  By  James  Mease,  M.  D.  Philadelphia  : 
1811,  p.  207. 

2Baird's  Collection,  etc    Philadelphia  [1855],  p.  210. 

3  "  We  observe  that  a  Presbyterian  Assembly,  which  has  been  jealous 
of  Xew  England  innovations,  has  yet  retained  in  the  last  collection  of 
Psalms  put  forth  under  its  sanction  many  or  most  of  Barlow's  altera- 
tions, which  were  long  since  eschewed  in  the  region  where  they  origi- 
nated." Rev.  0.  E.  Daggett,  in  The  New  Englander,  Xo.  XV,  for  July, 
1846,  p.  327,  note. 


28  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalm-. 

highest  regard  throughout  Congregational  and  Presbyterian 
churches,  whose  closer  union  was  his  special  concern.  He  was 
also  known  as  a  poet,  having  published  his  Conquest  of  Canaan 
in  1785,  his  Triumph  of  Infidelity  in  1788,  and  his  Greenfield  Hill 
in  1794. 

It  is  curious  to  find  Dr.  D wight's  name  on  the  title-page  of 
the  new  revision  with  the  same  prominence  to  which  Dr.  Stiles 
had  objected  in  the  case  of  Barlow.  Dr.  D wight  differed  from 
Barlow,  as  has  been  seen,  in  confining  the  changes  from  the 
original  to  such  as  seemed  essential,  and  also  in  appropriating 
once  more  several  Psalms  to  the  circumstances  of  this  country. 
His  original  contributions  far  exceeded  Barlow's  in  number, 
numbering  in  all  thirty- three  versions,  estimated  to  contain 
some  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  lines.  As  regards  the  degree  of 
literalness  attained  in  these  versions,  it  is  sufficient  to  remark 
that  the  one  now  best  remembered,  "  I  Love  Thy  Kingdom, 
Lord,"  appeared  as  a  version  of  Psalm  CXXXVII. 

(3)     Editions  of  D wight's  Revision. 

The  larger  number  of  editions  of  Dr.  Dwight's  revision  seen 
by  the  writer  appeared  with  the  allowance  of  the  General  Asso- 
ciation on  the  title  ;  a  few  with  that  of  the  General  Assembly. 
They  cannot,  however,  be  thus  separated  into  Congregational 
and  Presbyterian  groups,  as  some  of  the  former  contain  features 
showing  them  to  have  been  intended  for  Presbyterian  as  well 
as  Congregational  use. 

The  following  are  the  editions  at  hand : 

[G  2]  [Same  Title  as  G  1]  Hartford  :  Printed  for  Hudson  & 
Goodwin.     From  Sidney  Press.     1803.     16mo. 

[G  3]  The  Psalms  of  David,  ...  in  proper  metres.  To  the 
Psalms  is  added  A  Selection  of  Hymns.  By  Timothy 
Dwight,  D.  D.,  President  of  Yale  College.  Approved 
and  allowed  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America.  Second  Edition. 
New  Brunswick  :  Printed  by  A.  Blauvelt.     1804.     16mo. 

(In  addition  to  the  usual  certificate  of  the  joint-com- 
mittee, this  edition  prefixes  an  ' '  Extract  from  The  Minutes 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms.  29 

of  the  Genearal- (s/c)  Assembly,  A.  D.  1802."     It  was,  per- 
haps, the  "  second  edition  "  with  this  title  and  extract.) 

[G  4]  [Same  Title  as  G  1]  Albany  :  Printed  and  published 
by  Whiting,  Backus  &  Whiting  .   .   .  1804.     16mo. 

[G  5]  [Same  Title]  Hartford :  Printed  by  Hudson  &  Good- 
win.   1811.     24mo. 

[G  6]    [Same  Title]   Same  printer  :  1814.     24mo. 

[G  7]  [Same  Title  as  G  3,  but  omitting  "  Second  Edition."] 
Albany :  Printed  by  Websters  and  Skinners.  1817. 
12mo. 

(It  has  the  extract  from  the  Minutes  of  the  General  As- 
sembly >  The  copyright  notice  is  of  a  renewal  in  Dr. 
Dwight's  name  "  in  the  fortieth  year  of  the  Independence," 
etc.,  of  a  book  having  the  title  as  appearing  on  the  title- 
page  of  this  edition.) 

[G  8]  [Same  Title  as  G  1]  New  York  :  Published  and  sold  by 
Charles  Starr.     1822.     32mo. 

(The  copyright  notice  is  that  of  G  7. ) 

[G  9]  [Same  Title]  Hartford  :  Printed  by  P.  B.  Gleason  and 
Co.  .   .  .  1830.     16mo. 

(It  has  the  extract  from  the  Minutes  of  the  General 
Assembly.) 

The  writer  has  seen  notices  of  the  following  additional  edi- 
tions of  Dwight's  revision  : — 

1808.  New  Haven.     12mo. 

1809.  New  Haven  :  J.  Seymour  &  Co.     32mo. 
1812.     New  Haven.     32mo. 

1814.  Hartford.     12mo. 

1816.  New  York  :  E.  Duyckinck.     32mo. 

1816.  New  York  :  Pvob.  McDermott.     32mo. 

1817.  Hartford.     32mo. 

1817.  New  York  :  J.  L.  Tiffany.     12mo. 

1819.  Hartford.     12mo. 

1821.  New  Haven.     12mo. 

1827.  New  Haven  :  N.  Whiting.     32mo. 

1828.  Elizabeth-Town.     32mo. 
1832.  New  Haven.     32mo. 


30  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' s  Psalms. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  several  revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms 
studied  up  to  this  point  form  a  single  series  in  actual  historical 
connection.  Barlow's  revision  was  planned  to  replace  Mycall's, 
and  Dwight's  to  replace  Barlow's,  and  all  find  the  reason  of 
their  existence  in  the  original  motive  behind  Mycall's — the 
purpose  of  adapting  Watts's  local  appropriations  of  the  Psalms 
to  free  America.  This  series  of  revisions,  which  forms  the  theme 
of  the  present  paper,  may  be  said  to  end  with  that  of  D wight. 
Later  in  the  nineteenth  century  there  followed  another  series  of 
editions  or  "  arrangements  "  of  Watts,  of  which  those  of  Win- 
chell,  Worcester,  and  Morse,  were  the  most  conspicuous.  But 
these  had  other  motives  behind  them,  among  which  was  the 
purpose  of  gathering,  and,  perhaps,  rearranging,  the  whole  of 
Dr.  Watts's  contributions  to  psalmody  in  one  volume. 

Intervening,  however,  between  these  later  editions  and  the 
earlier  revisions,  were  two  minor  revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms, 
distinctively  pertaining  to  the  former  series,  perhaps,  rather 
than  to  the  latter.  In  either  case  it  seems  proper  to  include 
some  notice  of  them  here,  for  the  sake  of  discriminating  their 
several  issues  from  those  of  the  earlier  revisions,  with  which 
they  are  so  easily  confused. 

V. 

THE  BOSTON  REVISION. 

A  separate  group  of  editions  of  Watts's  Psalms  may  be  referred 
to  as  a  Boston  revision,  so  many  of  the  type  appearing  there, 
especially  with  the  imprint  of  Manning  and  Loring.  The  titles 
of  these  have  nothing  to  indicate  a  revision  of  any  kind.  The 
text  is  made  from  the  original  with  the  aid  principally  of  the 
Barlow  and  Worcester  editions.  Psalms  LX  and  LXXV  pre- 
sent the  peculiarities  of  the  Worcester  text.  Other  psalms  vary 
from  both  that  and  Barlow's.  An  ear-mark  of  these  editions  is 
Psalm  XXI,  C.  M.,  the  title  of  which  reads,  "Psalm  XXI. 
Com.  metre.  Altered."  The  Psalms  and  Hymns  are  generally 
bound  together. 

[H  1]  The  Psalms  of  David,  Imitated  in  the  Language  of  the 
Xew-Testament,  And  applied  to  the  Christian  State  and 
Worship.       By    I.    Watts,    D.    D.  [two   texts.]      Boston: 


The  American  Revisions  of  Watts' a  Psalms.  31 

Printed  by  Manning  &  Loring,  For  Thomas  &  Andrews,  and 

Manning  &  Loring.     1803.     12mo. 
[H  2]  [Same  Title]   Same  printer.     1808.     16mo. 
[H  3]    [Same  Title,  one  text  omitted]  Boston:  Hastings.  Ether- 

idge  &  Bliss.     1808.     16mo. 
[H  4]    [Same  Title  as  H  1,  with  "  Isaac  "  in  full]  Sutton  (Mass.), 

Sewall  Goodridge.     1808.     24mo. 
[H  5]  [Same  Title  as  H  1]  Boston  :  Manning  &  Loring.     May 

1812.     16mo. 
[H  6]    [Same Title]  Boston:  Lincoln  &  Edmands.    1813.    32mo. 
[H  7]    [Same  Title,   one  text  omitted   and   u  Isaac "  in  full] 

Pvochester  :  E.  Peck  &  Co.     1822.     48mo. 
[H  8]    [Same   Title  as  H  7]    Hartford  :    Judd,   Loomis  &  Co. 

1836.     48mo. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  in  the  numbers  of  the  series  of  which 
these  are  examples  there  exist  variations  of  text ;  but  these  are 
not  of  particular  significance. 

VI. 

A  PRESBYTERIAN  REVISION. 

There  appeared  in  1803  a  minor  revision,  of  which  only  one 

issue  has  been  met  with  by  the  writer,  and  which  cannot  be 

identified  with  any  one  of  those  heretofore  noted.     The  title  is 

as  follows  : 

[1 1]  Dr.  Watts'  Imitation  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  suited  to 
the  Christian  Worship  in  the  United  States.  And  allowed 
by  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  to  be  used  in 
all  the  churches,  [text.]  New  York  :  Printed  for  W. 
Durrell,  No.  106,  Maiden-Lane.  Deare  and  Andrews, 
Printers.     1803.     48mo.   (Watts's  Hymns  bound  in.) 

Published  after  all  the  important  revisions,  the  purpose  of 
this  seems  to  be  to  return  as  far  as  possible  to  the  original  text 
of  Dr.  Watts,  as  in  Psalms  XXI  and  LX,  or,  when  that  is  im- 
practicable, as  in  Psalm  LXXV,  to  omit  the  Psalm  altogether. 
In  such  alterations  as  are  made,  Barlow  is  preferred  to  Dwight. 
None  of  the  original  versions  supplied  by  either  hand  is  here 
included. 


32  The  American  Revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms. 

In  thus  bringing  to  a  close  this,  the  first  attempt  to  study 
the  American  revisions  of  Watts's  Psalms,  and  to  discriminate 
the  editions  embodying  them,  the  present  writer  deems  that  no 
apology  is  necessary  for  so  much  labor  spent  in  illustrating 
such  a  theme.  This  is  a  scientific  age ;  and  he  believes,  for  his 
part,  that  the  collection  and  classification  of  old  psalm-books, 
which  are  the  remains  and  record  of  the  spiritual  life  of  contem- 
poraneous Christians,  is  just  as  scientific  as  the  collection  and 
classification  of  fossil  shells,  which  are  the  remains  and  record  of 
the  animal  life  of  contemporaneous  mollusca.  For  the  limita- 
tions and  imperfections  of  the  labor  itself,  he  feels  more  free  to 
apologize.  It  has  not  been  possible  to  gather  together  all  the 
issues  of  the  various  revisions,  and  as  long  as  there  is  even  one 
outstanding,  he  is  in  no  position  to  say  that  it  might  not,  if 
known,  modify  the  results  of  his  study  of  those  actually  under 
his  hand. 


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